The pressing of explosive charges by means of hydraulic presses under high pressures of up tc 1000 bar and higher represents the most important process for manufacturing high performance explosive charges, besides casting However, while plastic-bonded explosive charges produced by casting contain only at most 90 wt. % explosive, a higher percentage of explosive, equaling 95 wt. % or higher, can be reached in the case of pressed plastic-bonded explosive charges.
In plastic-bonded explosive charges, thermoplastics or curable plastics, in which the crystalline explosive particles are embedded, are used as the binder for the crystalline explosive. The charge is then produced from the granular explosive and plastic by pressing.
Due to the above-mentioned high percentage of explosive and the use of high explosives, such as Octogen, pressed, plastic-bonded explosive charges have a high energy content. Therefore, they are used mainly for hollow charges and similar high performance charges.
The commercially available explosive/plastic binder granular products for producing pressed charges contain especially polyurethanes as well as fluoropolymers as the plastic binder. Thus, a granular product containing a hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride polymer known under the trademark "VITON A" and another granular product with a thermoplastic polyurethane binder under the trademark "ESTANE" as the plastic binder are commercially available.
However, at high percentages of Octogen of 95 wt. % or more, the pressed explosive charges produced from these granular products are extremely sensitive and therefore do not meet the requirements imposed in terms of the safety of ammunition, e.g., against bullet impact and fire.